Summary
- The Grand Paris Express: The Largest Art Commission
- Abdelkader Benchamma's artwork for the Mairie de Vitry-sur-Seine train station
- The artwork by Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger for the Chevilly-Larue train station
- Laurent Grasso's trompe-l'œil for the Châtillon-Montrouge train station
- Michelangelo Pistoletto's Work in Champigny
- French artist JR at the Clichy-Montfermeil train station
- The Sevran-Livry Train Station by Daniel Buren
- Carole Benzaken for the Satory train station
- Esther Stocker’s artwork for the Mesnil-Amelot train station
- The Christ de Saclay Station
The Grand Paris Express: The Largest Art Commission
For its 68 new stations, the Grand Paris Express has chosen to pair an artist with an architect so that, together, they can create a monumental and enduring work of art.
With more than 500 artworks planned by 2030, the Grand Paris Express represents one of the most ambitious public art commissions in the world. Each artwork is designed in situ —with and for the specific location. The projects draw on a variety of media: sculptures, light installations, murals, digital artworks, and more. The artists range from internationally renowned figures to emerging talents.
By 2030, more than 3 million passengers will use these new facilities every day. These facilities will contribute to a new cultural and tourism offering accessible to all, turning each station into a vibrant hub and a destination in its own right.
Abdelkader Benchamma's artwork for the Mairie de Vitry-sur-Seine train station
Designed by architect Frédéric Neau as an underground grotto in harmony with Coteau Park, the station is home to Abdelkader Benchamma’s artwork *Grotte Céleste*. Born in 1975, the artist paints directly onto the hand-cast concrete walls, offering a poetic exploration of geological strata and the states of matter. A magnificent work that perfectly embodies the vision of the Grand Paris Express.
- Train Station: Vitry-sur-Seine City Hall
- Address: 10 Rue Édouard Tremblay, 94400 Vitry-sur-Seine
- Artists: Abdelkader Benchamma | Frédéric Neau
- Agency: Atelier King Kong
- Type: Acrylic paint and ink, wall panels in the station from the lobby to the platforms
- Year of opening: Early 2027
The artwork by Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger for the Chevilly-Larue train station
"The Beautiful Underground Life" is the title this Swiss duo chose for their paving project featuring 6,780 brightly colored porcelain stoneware tiles. This 566 m² installation reveals, right beneath our feet, the invisible organisms that inhabit the soil, serving as a poetic echo of the underground world of the metro envisioned by architect Jérôme Brunet.
- Train station: Chevilly-Larue
- Address: Rue des Routiers, 94550 Chevilly-Larue
- Artists: Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger | Jérôme Brunet
- Agency: Brunet Saunier & Associates
- Type: Porcelain tile flooring
- Year of opening: 2025
Laurent Grasso's trompe-l'œil for the Châtillon-Montrouge train station
In our opinion, this is one of the most beautiful stations in this project. When you look up in this station designed by David Trottin, you’ll see*Ciel d’argent*: an 800 m² trompe-l’œil screen-printed onto 2,750 metal slats, inspired by Renaissance-era painted ceilings. Laurent Grasso, winner of the 2008 Marcel Duchamp Prize, offers travelers a mesmerizing celestial vault that appears differently depending on their location within the station.
- Train station: Châtillon-Montrouge
- Address: 234 Avenue Marx Dormoy, 92120 Montrouge
- Artists: Laurent Grasso | David Trottin
- Firm: Périphériques Architectes
- Type: Trompe-l’œil inspired by Renaissance-era painted skies, rendered on metal slats
- Year of opening: 2027
Michelangelo Pistoletto's Work in Champigny
A leading figure of the Arte Povera movement, Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto has been using art to serve the collective consciousness for the past 20 years through hisLove Difference movement. For the train station designed by Thomas Richez, 220 meters of colorful neon tubes will be installed: the phrase“Love Differences”in 16 languages, displayed at the heart of the station, forms the symbol ofthe Third Paradise —a vision of a world where nature and artifice are reconciled.
- Train station: Champigny Centre
- Address: 161B Av. Roger Salengro, 94500 Champigny-sur-Marne
- Artists: Michelangelo Pistoletto | Thomas Richez
- Agency: Richez Associés
- Type: Colored neon letters
- Year opened: 2031
Read: Painted Water Towers: The Most Beautiful Murals in France and Around the World
French artist JR at the Clichy-Montfermeil train station
This is his first permanent work. JR, known for his temporary photographic collages on walls around the world, has created a murals m² murals printed on ceramic tiles. A total of 850 residents of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, photographed in 2016, will be featured on the facades of the train station designed by Benedetta Tagliabue.
- Train station: Clichy-Montfermeil
- Address: 29 All. Anatole France, 93390 Clichy-sous-Bois
- Artist: JR
- Firm: Miralles Tagliabue EMBT
- Type: murals printed on ceramic tiles
- Year of opening: 2027
The Sevran-Livry Train Station by Daniel Buren
Daniel Buren’s signature style has remained unchanged since the 1960s: here, 8.7 cm-wide stripes adorn the four domes of the roof designed by architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul. Spanning more than 1,030 m², tinted ETFE films transform the station into a luminous canopy, with patterns of colorful shadows cast onto the floor that change throughout the day.
- Train station: Sevran-Livry
- Address: 1 Place de la Gare, 93270 Sevran
- Artist: Daniel Buren
- Firm: Architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul
- Type: Tinted ETFE film canopy
- Year of opening: 2027
Carole Benzaken for the Satory train station
Carole Benzaken, winner of the 2004 Marcel Duchamp Prize, is transforming the central staircase of the train station designed by architect Corinne Vezzoni. There, beneath the 12 flights of stairs, she will project a landscape stretched out in a tracking shot. Dynamic LED lighting will adorn the staircase with shifting chromatic vibrations, illuminating the space all the way to the glass roofs.
- Train Station: Satory
- Address: 2 Rte de la Minière, 78000 Versailles
- Artists: Carole Benzaken | Corinne Vezzoni
- Agency: Corinne Vezzoni & Associates
- Type: Underside lighting for the 12 flights of stairs with printed designs and LED lighting
- Year of opening: 2030
Esther Stocker’s artwork for the Mesnil-Amelot train station
It all starts with a blank sheet of paper and a childlike gesture. Inspired by the proximity of Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, Italian artist Esther Stocker has suspended five giant paper airplanes from the ceiling of the train station, designed by architect Benoît Le Thierry d’Ennequin. These are actually metal sculptures ranging from 3.5 to 6 meters in height. They are striated with black lines that echo the ceiling beams.
- Train Station: Le Mesnil-Amelot
- Address: 2 bis Rue de Paris, 77990 Le Mesnil-Amelot
- Artists: Esther Stocker | Benoît Le Thierry d’Ennequin
- Firm: Explorations Architecture
- Type:Paperplane Sculptures: 5 hanging painted metal sculptures
- Year of opening: 2028
The Christ de Saclay Station
Ulla von Brandenburg has reinterpreted one of her preparatory drawings inspired by the Saint-Simonians, reconstructing an abstract rural landscape using the patchwork technique. By replacing fabric with paint, she extends her motif across the walls and ceiling of the station, transforming the physical space into a continuous landscape connected by fragmented forms. The work plays on the boundary between interior and exterior, bringing the landscape into the architecture. This exploration of color and geometry creates a rhythmic visual journey that breaks the monotony of travel and humanizes this living space.
To bring this large-scale project to life, PALM is painting the artwork across nearly 1,000 m² of interior surfaces, faithfully following the artist’s design and coordinating the application of colors in accordance with strict technical standards. This major project for PALM is scheduled to be completed this summer.
- Station: Christ de Saclay
- Address: Saclay (91)
- Artists: Ulla von Brandenburg | Atelier Novembre and Benthem Crouwel Architects
- Firm: Atelier Novembre and Benthem Crouwel Architects | Métalobil
- Type: Wall and ceiling painting, patchwork technique
- Year of opening: 2027
Further Reading
This collection, which is currently being assembled, is much more than just a decorative project. It brings contemporary art into the daily lives of millions of residents of the Île-de-France region, turning every commute into a cultural experience in its own right.
See also
